Fruits and vegetables, food contact surfaces, and sometimes other food products such as meats, are desirably washed prior to ingestion in order to remove soils and other unwanted residues which may be undesirably clinging to the surfaces thereof. It is also desirable to reduce microorganisms on food and food contact surfaces, thus ensuring safety.
It is especially desirable to provide effective, toxicologically-acceptable compositions for treating food, including fruits and vegetables and/or meats, that can be sold in concentrated form and used to create dilute, low-sudsing liquid solutions which can be used to effect antimicrobial action and which desirably provide palatable food without removal of the composition. Dilute liquid solutions are convenient for the user, since they can be applied directly to soiled fruits and vegetables, or by simple immersion of the soiled food items in the solution, thus ensuring that all parts of the food items are treated. Clarity of the dilute liquids connotes cleanliness to the user and is thus highly desirable. Low-sudsing is an important attribute so that the elimination of any suds is achieved quickly and easily. It is also of advantage if such concentrates can be diluted by the consumer using water that is not generally safe for use, since that is sometimes the only water that is available.